Soft, creamy and gluten-free, this vanilla panna cotta is the perfect dessert to impress your guests!
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert meaning “cooked cream.” The creamy base is gently heated on the stove top and sweetened with sugar with gelatine dissolved into it. As the base is gelatine, your panna cotta needs to be chilled and set with a smooth, silky, gelatinous, creamy dessert. Present the panna cotta in beautiful whiskey glasses to make your desserts look more attractive and insta-worthy!
Panna Cotta can be made into a large variety of flavours. I love to infuse different flavours into the cream whilst cooking it. Try earl grey tea bags, lavender flowers, kaffir lime leaves, rosewater or espresso. Get even more creative by pairing your panna cotta with compatible fruits, syrups or toppings. Try rosewater panna cotta with Persian fairy floss and strawberries, earl grey with an orange crumb or a breakfast yogurt panna cotta with fresh fruits – the possibilities are endless!
The great thing about panna cotta is that it is naturally gluten-free and can easily be adapted for many dietary requirements such as dairy-free, sugar-free vegetarian or vegan. Variations of the base could include milk, coconut cream, buttermilk, yoghurt or even a mixture depending on your chosen recipe or dietary requirement. Alternative sweeteners to sugar could include pure maple syrup, honey or stevia. To transform this dessert to a vegan or vegetarian one, omit the gelatine and replace it with agar agar – a seaweed-based setting agent from Japan that produces the same gelatinous texture. Coconut cream is a delicious dairy-free and creamy vegan component.
Gelatine for desserts comes in two forms, sheet gelatine and granulated gelatine – both are animal collagen that has been dried in different ways. Gelatine sheets are clear, and as the name says set as sheets. The powder is more of a dull white colour and granular therefore measured by a spoon. Both types require rehydrating in water before melting. Failing to rehydrate your gelatine correctly will result in a granular texture within your desert leaving an unpleasant mouthfeel. I personally use leaf gelatine as I feel it gives the result of a smoother tasting result. If you prefer to use granulated gelatine, that is completely fine also! Just always read your recipe correctly and follow it closely.
The Waterford short stories series was originally designed with the thought of warmth, closeness and love of words whilst sipping drinks together in a cosy setting. This feeling resonates with my love of food, friends, family and togetherness. What better way to end a meal than with a refined, silky Italian dessert displayed in individually unique, lush crystalware. Whilst panna cotta is traditionally made to be demoulded, it is equally as beautifully presented in a whiskey glass. The Waterford whiskey glasses capacity embraces the perfect amount of liquid with room left for toppings of fruits and a crunchy crumb.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta Recipe
Ingredients
For the Panna Cotta double recipe
- 2 cups thickened cream
- 1 cup milk
- 6 gold-strength gelatine leaves
- 4-5 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Walnut Crumb:
- 1 cup Plain flour
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 100gm Unsalted butter
- 1 pinch of Himalayan pink salt
- A squeeze of lemon
For the Honey Peach syrup:
- 3 Peaches
- ½ cup Caster sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp honey
- Lemon juice
- Thyme
For the garnish:
Sprinkle the walnut crumb onto the panna cotta. Dice the third peach – skin off and scatter over the crumb. Pour a tablespoon of peach syrup into each glass and sprinkle on a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.
Method
1. For the panna cotta, fully submerge the gelatine leaves in a shallow bowl filled with cold water for 5 minutes or until softened.
2. In a saucepan, pour in the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla - heat over from a low to medium heat just up to boil point (do not boil) and remove from the heat.
3. Squeeze the liquid from the gelatine leaves and stir thoroughly into the warmed milk and cream mixture.
4. Using a mesh sieve, strain the liquid through and into a pouring jug.
5. Place the glassware onto a tray and fill each one with an equal amount of liquid, transfer into the fridge.
6. Leave in the fridge for at least four hours or until fully set.
7. For the walnut crumb, massage all the ingredients together with your fingertips into a course crumb – place in the oven on a baking tray at 180 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Leave the crumb to cool and crisp up, store in an airtight container.
9. For the peach syrup, slice the cheeks from two of the peaches.
10. Add the peaches to a saucepan with water, caster sugar, honey & thyme.
11. Gently simmer the peaches in the sugar and water until it reduces into a golden viscose syrup.
12. Once simmered, add through the juice of half a lemon.
13. Strain through a fine mesh sieve discarding the contents and keeping the syrup.
14. To serve, spoon the macadamia crumble onto the centre of each panna cotta, delicately drizzle the peach syrup around the crumb, and serve with some fresh peach and edible flowers or micro herbs to garnish.
Next Read: Lemon Drizzle Mini Bundt Cakes
